Meat-Eaters Create Twice as Much CO2 as Vegans

The carbon footprint of people who eat meat every day outweighs that produced by vegans by 1.8 tons.

A new report compiled by research company GoCompare Energy (GCE) found that meat-eaters produce double the carbon dioxide produced by those following a vegan diet. Using its carbon calculator, GCE determined that people who eat meat daily produce 2.8 tons of carbon dioxide annually—compared to 1.5 tons for those who consume vegetarian diets, and only 1.1 tons produced annually by vegans. “Making minimal changes to your day can make a huge difference, especially when everyone does it,” GCE spokesperson Ben Wilson said. According to a report by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, animal agriculture is responsible for more greenhouse gas emissions than all of the transportation sector combined.